IT Systems & Network Manager
Effingham Schools Trust
38,000 per year
Effingham Hill
Full-time
8th April 2026
Listed today
Appointment of IT Systems & Network Manager April 2026 Information for Applicants Welcome Effingham Schools Trust is made up of a small group of schools sharing a Christian ethos nestled in the beautiful Surrey countryside. A family atmosphere pervades the schools where pupils can thrive, staff have fulfilling roles, and parents can be confident in their choice of education for their young people. In 2019, neighbouring schools St Teresa’s and Cranmore formed the Effingham Schools Trust partnership to create a diamond model school, delivering all the advantages of both single- sex and co-education to girls and boys. Manor House subsequently joined the Trust from September 2023, forming a dynamic educational triumvirate. The partnership allows each school to focus on its strengths whilst retaining its individuality, offering all pupils an extraordinarily rich variety of shared events, facilities and resources. September 2025 saw the opening of the new co-educational Sixth Form on the St Teresa’s site, the final part of the forward-looking educational strategy that the Trust has created. The Role Effingham Schools Trust is delighted to offer an outstanding opportunity to appoint an IT Systems & Network Manager to join our IT Services team. This is an exciting time to join a thriving and successful department, and we are looking for an enthusiastic and experienced individual to play a key role in keeping the Trust’s IT systems running smoothly, securely, and efficiently across multiple school sites. The candidate will line manage three IT Technicians and help ensure the technology supports teaching, learning and the day to day running of each school. The ideal candidate will have strong technical skills, a proactive approach and a genuine commitment to delivering a helpful, reliable service to staff and students. Main Duties & Responsibilities The IT Systems & Network Manager will line-manage three IT Technicians and help ensure that technology supports teaching, learning, and the day to day running of each school. Leadership & Team Coordination • Lead, support and develop three IT Technicians, helping them manage their workload and maintain high service standards. • Act as a main technical escalation point and help ensure consistency across the Trust. Technical Support • Ensure the team responds quickly to classroom impacting issues to minimise disruption. • Provide specialist support for business-critical departments, including Admissions, Finance, Marketing, Operations and Human Resources. • Prioritise support effectively, especially during assessments, exams and other busy periods. • Ensure workloads are shared across the team; coordinate scheduling of technicians' on-site presence, ensuring this is effectively communicated. • Oversee the scheduling of events/set-ups and availability of equipment/staff as appropriate. • Oversee the service desk provision along with associated triggers/categorisation to ensure tracking and the full progression of requests/incidents. Incident Response, Failures & Escalation • Coordinate responses to outages, failures and service disruptions to restore stability as quickly as possible, referring to and keeping the Head of IT apprised. • Escalate to the Head of IT or external suppliers as needed. • Keep staff informed of progress, timescales and any temporary workarounds. • Assist with post incident reviews and preventative planning. Systems, Infrastructure & Network Oversight • Oversee the daily, secure operation of servers, identity services, storage, backups, switching, routing, segmentation and wireless networks. • Ensure all systems remain in compliance alongside OS patching and service packs, and their configuration is well-documented. • Schedule upgrades and maintenance appropriately and ensure approval has been sought in advance from the Head of IT and changes/downtime are communicated. Cybersecurity & Compliance • Support the Head of IT in establishing and maintaining a strong cybersecurity mindset and approach across the Trust. • Adhere to the Cyber Security Policy, following processes and documentation, monitor and help strengthen system and network security, ensuring vulnerabilities are addressed promptly. • Ensure managed pupil devices remain securely locked down, consistently configured and protected in line with Trust policies. Safeguarding, Filtering & Monitoring (Technical Oversight) • Manage the technical configuration and maintenance of the Trust’s web filtering and digital monitoring systems. • Conduct regular checks, maintain secure access controls and escalate safeguarding related technical concerns to the Head of IT and DSLs. • Carry out technical investigations as instructed by DSLs or SLTs, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality. • Ensure the systems remain compliant with legislation, including supplier and industry best practice. Managed Services • Work closely with providers to ensure the smooth technical delivery for the Trust, ensure that problems are responded to and resolved within agreed timeframes. • Ensure the Head of IT is proactively apprised of issues which need to be escalated. Examinations Support • Oversee the technical setup of secure exam environments, in line with JCQ guidelines, school procedures and checklists, working closely with Exam Officers. Onboarding & Offboarding • Oversee onboarding/offboarding procedures and policy are followed for all accounts and devices. • This includes add/removal from groups, migration of data, deactivation of accounts and removal from associated systems and services. System Integrations • Support the integration of Trust systems to improve data flow and efficiency. • Ensure platforms and services work effectively together across the organisation. AI, Innovation & Safe Use of Technology • Support the safe, appropriate use of AI tools across the Trust, ensuring they are used responsibly and in line with policy. • Assist staff in making effective use of AI by providing guidance and suggested workflow improvements. • Working with the Head of IT to identify areas which would be suitable for AI advancement. Compliance, Audits & Best Practice • Support the Head of IT with internal and external audits, software licensing, cybersecurity checks and financial compliance work. • Maintain clear, secure and audit ready documentation. Projects, Improvement & Documentation • Contribute to ongoing improvements to the Trust’s systems, identifying opportunities to enhance performance and security. • Carry out and oversee improvement works across the Trust, including during school holidays and half-term periods, ensuring upgrades are completed safely and with minimal disruption. • Working closely with the Head of IT and Maintenance/Estates teams to coordinate works and those which require support. • Maintain documentation, including asset registers, diagrams and change logs. • Communicate clearly and professionally with staff, students and stakeholders. Other Duties • Undertake other duties as reasonably required by the Head of IT. • Occasional out‑of‑hours or weekend work may be required to support school events, during emergencies or essential maintenance. Person Specification Qualifications • Relevant technical certifications (eg ITIL, Network+, CCNA, Microsoft or similar) desirable • Evidence of relevant continuing professional development. Experience • Understanding of child-safeguarding issues and successful use of measures that promote and ensure the safeguarding of children. • Microsoft Office 365 applications and administration. • Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Server, Active Directory, Azure and Intune. • Supporting or leading a technical team. • Confident working independently across multiple Trust sites throughout the week. • Experience with WiFi platforms such as Meraki or Cambium (desirable) • Experience working within a school or MAT environment (desirable) Knowledge • Strong understanding of networking concepts including VLANs, routing, switching and firewalls. • Clear knowledge of GDPR, secure data-handling practices and cybersecurity fundamentals. • Understanding of safeguarding principles and the role technology plays in monitoring, filtering and compliance. Skills • Ability to work effectively under pressure, maintaining accuracy and professionalism during busy periods, incidents and deadlines. • Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously. • Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical matters clearly to non‑technical staff. • Proven ability to maintain professional relationships and work collaboratively across departments. • Ability to handle sensitive matters with tact, diplomacy and strict confidentiality. • Strong problem‑solving ability with a structured and proactive approach. Personality • Calm, resilient and dependable when responding to challenges, outages or urgent requests. • A supportive team leader who motivates others and models high service standards. • Energetic, adaptable and willing to take initiative in a changing technical landscape. • Committed to professional development and staying current with emerging technologies, including AI. • Reliable, punctual and committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Remuneration and Benefits Our staff enjoy working as part of a strong school community. We reward our talented staff with a range of benefits. Salary: Circa £38,000 - £50,000 per annum depending upon skills and experience Hours of work: Full time, permanent, 40 hours per week. Continued Professional Development: All staff have access to professional development training as part of the school’s performance development and appraisal process. Pension Scheme: Generous contributory pension scheme. Refreshments and lunch: Refreshments and lunch provided during term time. Cycle to work: Cycle to work scheme for staff members. Parking: Parking for staff members is provided on site. Counselling Service: A free, confidential 24-hour telephone service available 365 days per year. Application and Selection Process All applicants are required to complete an application form containing questions about their academic and employment history and their suitability for the role. A Letter of Application addressed to Mr Andy Ellison (Director of Operations) should accompany the application form. The letter should indicate your suitability for the post and your motivation for submitting the application. Further information, including examination results and the Independent Schools’ Inspection Reports can be found on the Schools’ website https://www.effinghamschools.org As part of the Trust’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, any offer of employment to this post will be subject to receipt of a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, along with qualifications, two satisfactory references and a satisfactory response to a Health Questionnaire. Please note that references will be taken up with shortlisted candidates prior to the interview. Closing Date for Applications: Wednesday 8th April 2026 Applications should be sent to: Mrs Karen Babler (Recruitment Manager) k.babler@st-teresas.com St Teresa’s School Effingham Hill Surrey RH5 6ST Effingham Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Our recruitment process follows the guidelines in KCSIE. Applicants undergo enhanced screening including checks with past employers, the DFE and the disclosure and barring service. The Trust reserves the right to interview at any stage of the selection process.